


Hero

by OveliaGirlHaditRight



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, And my headcanon day for Kairi's birthday, Canon Divergence, F/M, For SoKai Day, Gen, KH1 AU, Kairi Does Stuff, Kairi has trauma, Kairi-centric, Pretty Canon, Pretty Canon so Sora and Kairi will only be young besties starting to crush on each other at first, Universe Alterations, canon AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:47:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26506168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OveliaGirlHaditRight/pseuds/OveliaGirlHaditRight
Summary: Aqua intentionally bequeaths Kairi the Keyblade upon their first meeting, which gives her the Keyblade at four-years-old–that she then uses to force Apprentice Xehanort to stop torturing her and send her to Destiny Islands faster than he would’ve liked–but she can’t summon it when she loses her memory. But the night the Islands fell, Destiny’s Embrace returns to Kairi and she doesn’t lose her heart. Thus she gets to go with Sora on his journey from the get-go, and the story shifts.
Relationships: Donald Duck & Goofy & Kairi & Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Kairi & Riku & Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Kairi/Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Sora & Kairi and Leon and the Gang, more to add later - Relationship
Comments: 16
Kudos: 15





	Hero

**Chapter One**

Kairi—when she eventually remembered this had happened—would always be thankful that Aqua had decided to bequeath her with a Keyblade in the moment that she had saved her…

Initially, Kairi had had her Destiny’s Embrace Keyblade when she was four and five. And she had even used it against Apprentice Xehanort to the best of her ability, when he had kidnapped. And she now thought that was what had allowed her to get to Destiny Islands (where it was safe and beautiful, and not painful and horrendous like Radiant Garden had become).

After that, she had lost her Keyblade for years. Probably because she had lost her memories. But it would appear again when Sora and Riku both needed her to have it, and that mattered more than anything in the world to her.

**Three Years Earlier** ****

The fourteen-year-old Kairi, who was now looking out at the sea and trying her best to reminisce, did not recall much from when she’d washed up on the shore of Destiny Islands and Sora had found her. She vaguely thought she might have had some sort of weapon in her hand, maybe, but it had vanished the moment her best friend had found her… and so she’d for a long time believed him, when he’d said it had just been a water gun that the ocean had carried away again.

And while a future Kairi would laugh at this—and wonder how Sora had been so blind in that moment. But, hey. Memories became hazy over time—she still became friends with him after he doubted her. And his best friend Riku, too.

And speaking of Riku… it wouldn’t be until Riku went into a secret place on the Island and sought out a mysterious door there—for the second time, he would tell Kairi when she followed him in there—would the Keyblade return to her, and Kairi attempt to seal a Keyhole (after Riku had already left) and be unable to.

After that scary moment (as Kairi tried to focus on the pretty lights and colors she’d just seen from the Keyhole and not the larger parts of what was happening), some memories returned to Kairi. And she didn’t want them at all! Not of these ones, anyway, of her grandmother screaming and her being ripped away from her as she did so.

And as Kairi ate dinner with her family that night, getting ready to go on their great draft adventure, she dreaded the other shoe dropping next, as that always seemed to happen for her.

So Kairi tried to focus on the good things while she could—that it seemed like Sora was starting to realize it was okay to like orange more than red… That Riku seemed to be seeing that there was more to Selphie, after all… That she was about to be a class representative—and focused on them when Riku, later, seemed to be looking at her angrily, as she held her Keyblade in the storm. And he then tried to kidnap Sora before he fended him away with his own Keyblade: Kingdom Key, if Kairi was hearing its name right in her heart.

And as the redhead saw strange shadows all around her now… to say that she felt horrible for doubting Sora when he’d talked about these sorts of things earlier, would have been an understatement.

She should ’ve known it was real—even if it had just seen them in a dream—and that even though Sora had dismissed the reality of it easily when she had somewhat pressured him to… he had only done so because of his trauma of it, much like what she had done with her own memories.

“I’m sorry, Sora!” Kairi yelled out to him now, as she was almost blown off the paopu islet by the wind whipping all around them. She wanted him to know that, in case something unseemly happened to one of them on this awful night.

But Sora, being Sora, didn’t seem bothered by their earlier argument at all.

Instead, he grinned at her through this tornado—grinned!—and caught onto Kairi’s hand so they wouldn’t lose each other. “That’s okay, Kairi. But you know how you can make it up to me? By admitting that I’m cooler than Riku right now!”

And before Kairi could really react to his joke at all, Sora was already charging into battle against the massive shadow with his Keyblade in hand.

And Kairi could tell that this was something he wanted to do before he died, if it came down to it: defend her to his last breath.

And so far, he was doing a pretty good job of it! He’d somewhere gotten the clever idea to run up the monster’s arm and attack its head, which was doing some substantial damage. Kairi could tell this by how it seemed to be taking the creature more and more of its leftover strength to summon more of its minions.

Thought now there were homing lasers coming from the beast, that Sora seemed to have no idea about and were heading right for him!

But not being one to be undone, Kairi ran towards Sora as fast as she could. She meant to just wrap her arms around him and sacrifice herself for her dear friend, but she’d accidentally positioned her Keyblade just so, so that she deflected the lasers… into the monster’s head, no less!

And Sora noticed what she’d accidentally done, the same moment that Kairi did and he beamed at her. “Kairi, see if you can do that again! Let’s work together and try and beat the boss!”

“Okay!”

Since Sora was still more agile than her, he continued to rest on the abomination’s arm and attack its head.

Kairi, meanwhile, was attacking its one hand—being sure to steer clear of the one sphere it sometimes made—and trying to deflect lasers (Sora was, too, and he probably managed to send back one-in-ten for her every one-in-twenty).

But when their enemy found a last bout of strength to summon more and more of its minions, that was almost too much for Kairi. She had cuts all over her from where they’d attacked. And then there was darkness on the ground that tried to pull her into it like quicksand?!

“Sora, it’s too much!” Kairi complained, just as the two of them har miraculously landed their final blows on the boss.

But they didn’t get too much time to celebrate; the gust that had almost taken Kairi into the air before, grabbed both her and Sora now and they were thrown into the ether.

As they flew, Kairi told a misty-eyed Sora, “I’m glad I was finally able to stand by your side, Sora! I’ve secretly always wanted to do that, and I’m so glad that I did!”

Kairi may have heard Sora say her name after that, but she couldn’t really be sure. Because soon, she knew nothing.

…

Kairi did not pass out upon entering a new world like Sora did—and how amazing it was, to think that they were in another world!—Instead, she landed on her feet… which was probably why she stayed awake, because after landing on them from the height that she did… she nearly snapped her legs in half. And oh, the pain there was great.

Sora was unconscious at the end of the small alley they were on. And once she’d deemed that she was able to walk, without hurting herself—because there had been no guarantee she hadn’t twisted her ankle from such a fall—she’d been walking over to where he was to wake him up, but a yellow dog licking his face beat her to the punch.

“Eww! Gross, doggy!” Kairi cried out for Sora’s sake. “I swear I actually like dogs—and you, I’ll bet—but I’m sure Sora won’t appreciate being slobbered on like that!

And just as Kairi had exclaimed that, and Sora began to stir, she heard a voice before her insulting their companion? And another one… calling for a Pluto? Oh! Pluto must’ve been the dog, Kairi realized numbly. For as soon as the puppy had heard that name, he had darted off.

And even Sora, who had only just woken up, was reaching for him; and it made sense to the redhead, because if anyone adored canines it was Sora.

"Kairi, what’s going on?!” Sora asked her with a very tired voice, the moment it became clear that the little guy wasn’t coming back. "Where are we?“

”…We’re in another world, Sora, if you can believe it. And it’s as advanced as our home’s become! It has cobblestones and lights that I can see just above us. Impressive, huh?“ While Kairi said all of this this like a teacher telling their student something, she partly hated herself for it… Sora and Riku had wanted to see other worlds more than she had, so shouldn’t they have been the ones to figure all of this out and tell _her_?

And speaking of Riku… Kairi had temporarily wanted to exclude him from her and Sora’s trip… and now he had fallen. Was it her fault? If so, Kairi wasn’t sure how she could ever forgive herself. She had to make it right!

Sora must have noticed that Kairi had lost some of her initiative… because linking her arm with his, he began leading her into the city. "Come on, Kairi. Let’s see if we can find any adults here who can help us.”

And Kairi nodded sadly, as she let Sora take her away. But she tried to find some of her usual fire again, by the time they found an establishment. The last thing she wanted right now was for Sora to worry, after all. He—and they—had already been through enough.

“Yo, mister!” Kairi called out, taking a page out of Riku and Sora’s book. “Could you give us some shelter, and perhaps help us find our friends?” She and Sora had just strolled into a shop painted in green.

Before they’d come here, Kairi and Sora had gone up one story in this town, and Kairi had seen another store that was sealed off.

And when Kairi—being more daring than she even had been on the Islands for some reason—had gone atop its roof and looked down the chimney, she’d seen the most adorable little creatures!

The redhead had then been struck by the desire to try and go down the chimney like Santa Claus, in order to get to the cuties. But Sora had pulled her away from it faster than she could blink, sighting that since they didn’t know if Riku was injured somewhere or not, the last thing they needed was for _her_ to get hurt. It was then that they’d realized they needed some sort of semblance of reality.

So here they were: at another shop in this small town. And was it Kairi… or was Sora looking at her with an amused but happy expression on his face after her outburst?

But Kairi didn’t have time to focus on any feelings Sora might or might not have for her right now. Instead, she was paying attention to the man coming from behind the tan counter, with a band on his waist that matched it. Kairi wondered what _that_ was about…

“Well, if you aren’t a fire cracker for a child. You remind me of someone else I know. So what can I do for you, again?”

"We-we’re looking for a friend of ours,” Sora supplied, now seeming lost in thought. “Way taller than Kairi and I, with silver hair and green eyes and a huge attitude problem. This is gonna sound crazy… but we think we’re in another world from our home one,”

This blond man—with hair that looked like an ice cream dip to Kairi, like Wakka's—gave Sora a sympathetic look, before sighing and returning his attention to her. “I hate to break it to y'all, but I guess I better prepare ya for this new, cruel world yer in… If your star—your world—blinked out, there’s a good chance many o’ your loved ones are dead.”

“No, I don’t believe it!” Sora exclaimed, banging his fist on the counter as he did so. And Kairi instantly put a reassuring hand on his back and leaned into him some, as she tried to not cry herself.

She wouldn’t believe her friends and family from Destiny Islands were gone, any more than she believed her grandma from her home world was dead. She just wouldn’t.

“Why don’ ya two have another look around town, and see if ya can’t find yer loved ones. Now that you’ve explored a little, the magic keeping the doors to the other districts sealed should be open. And then if ya still can’t find anyone older ta take care of ya, I’ll do it. I’m Cid.”

“I’m Sora.”

And after Sora had introduced himself, Kairi found he didn’t have to be told twice. The two fourteen-year-olds went back outside and tried to find the door to the next district.

And as they went through said door, Kairi would spy two strange fellas who seemed to be looking for someone… just as another stranger summoned a monster!

**Author's Note:**

> When I first played Kingdom Hearts, it wouldn’t let me go to the other districts until I explored thoroughly—I think my game was glitching some, when it did this even when I’d been all over the first district—so I decided to make that canon here.
> 
> I wish this chapter was longer, but I sadly don’t have the time at the moment.
> 
> This is the story I’ve mentioned about Kairi getting to be a hero and part of things from the get-go—that wasn’t supposed to have any shipping, as I feel fans attach Kairi to a relationship too much—but SoKai is of course in here, because it’s me. But at canon levels. Like canon KH1 levels here.
> 
> And the first part of this chapter is more telling, not showing. But I mean to have flashbacks about those parts later, that are more showing.
> 
> And while Kairi is the hero here, I’m trying to have her develop that way realistically (and not completely outshine Sora), since I still doubt Kairi ever sparred on the Island and whatnot. So she still has to learn the ropes, but she will.


End file.
